Ginnifer Goodwin: ‘Weight Watchers backlash was a shock’

Ginnifer Goodwin was stunned by the backlash she received after opening up about her lifelong dedication to diet company Weight Watchers, insisting she “could not believe” how harsh the criticism was.

The “Walk The Line” star revealed last month that she was first introduced to the diet plan as a child, when her parents feared she was on the verge of becoming overweight.

The healthy eating program helped Goodwin to slim down as she developed into a teenager and she has been an avid calorie-counter ever since.

But Goodwin found herself under attack for being a bad role model, with critics accusing the actress of suffering from “body issues” and speculating she had an eating disorder — allegations she denied.

She admits the negative reaction came as a shock because she wanted to show others struggling with their weight that it was fine to seek help with their diets.

Goodwin tells Glamour magazine, “I’d hoped that in sharing my Weight Watchers story, I’d be giving permission to women who are afraid to join a program or go to meetings.

“I think the noblest thing you can do is to ask for help. And I was hoping to be an example, because we can’t all look like the actresses and models you see on the covers of magazines — who aren’t doing it healthfully anyway, I promise you. But I could not believe the backlash.

“People accused me of having body issues, an eating disorder. But most people probably don’t know what Weight Watchers is — it’s really about good eating habits.”